The Descendant

The Descendant

“The Descendant”, by Masheri Chappelle is the first book in a trilogy series. It is epic in depth and scope on the cycles of racism, discrimination, sexual abuse, neglect, addiction and self-discovery in a family ranging as far back as 1832. Chappelle digs deep into the character’s psyches and historical perspective. To understand the breadth you first have to know that the story comes from a true account of Chappelle’s own ancestry through her intuitive abilities, stories from family members, and personal experiences. Chappelle’s clairvoyant gifts lend to the extraordinary personality development of her subjects with insight into why they make the choices they do in life.

As a publisher, I get books in the mail all of the time. To be honest I start to read most of them but after a few pages, or a look through, I put them down never to pick up again—except, of course, to put in the go to used bookstore pile. Chappelle’s “The Descendant” was a different story. I was first intrigued by her introduction and explanation of how our reactions and actions affect our perspectives, and I believe everything in life is about our perspective. I also noticed that before the intro she uses a quote from Gary Zukav’s book “The Seat of the Soul”, and being a big fan of Zukav myself, Chappelle gained my interest.

Masheri Chappelle, photo by Sierra Baskind

All that said, now I will tell you that I was a little skeptical at first when I learned that the narrative was coming from an unborn being, namely, Chappelle, but my curiosity urged me to keep going.

The story starts with a woman, alone and sitting in a bathtub giving birth to a child, Chappelle’s mother. After reading the detailed description of the birth, and the protagonist’s lack of emotion while giving birth, I was compelled to learn more. In other words—I was hooked.

This is not an easy read. The sagas that develop are sometimes complicated and a little confusing if you aren’t completely paying attention. Sometimes I found myself going back and re-reading parts in order for a better understanding of the characters and events.

What I admire about Chappelle and the book is her remarkably objective portrayal of her subjects. Her objectivity allows the reader to gain understanding into human behavior in conjunction with historical events, social limitations, collective attitudes as well as horrendous adversities, traumas and so on. I was allowed to form my own opinions about the events and the people because Chappelle showed me the story rather than told me the story. I found myself learning a new form of compassion and understanding for the abused as well as the abusers.

What I love about stories like this is I become a better person by reading it. The knowledge I gained by getting a peek into Chappelle’s family’s life will always be with me. Masheri Chappelle is a courageous woman and she has turned her journey into a gift to all of us.

“The Descendant will be released to the public in September 2009.

To read an excerpt and for information about pre ordering your copy of “The Descendant”go to www.myportalstar.com

Article tagged as: Women, family, abuse, racism, oppression, books